First published 2020
Ever Wong arrives in Taiwan expecting Chien Tan, a rigorous academic program her parents selected. She discovers Loveboat instead, where brilliant Asian American students prioritize Taipei nightlife over classroom learning. Her fellow students include Rick Woo, the Chinese American achiever who has annoyed her for years, Sophie Ha, her polished and intelligent roommate, and Xavier Yeh, whose family owns a global technology company. The program offers minimal adult oversight while students drink snake-blood sake and pursue romantic connections throughout the city. Ever experiences independence for the first time and finds it thrilling. Summer approaches its end, and she faces returning to her parents and their predetermined path for her life. She must choose between accepting the controlled future they envision or using her newfound confidence to chase her own dreams and become the person she wants to be.
Genres: romance, coming-of-age, contemporary, young-adult
Vibes: fast-paced, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Taiwan, Taipei
Period: 21st-century
432 pages · Hardcover · HarperCollins